Hello. What should you look for? What questions should you ask? And what should you expect from a good agency-client relationship? Let s get started.

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2 Hello. Marketing can be daunting. Whether you re overworked or overwhelmed, sometimes you just can t do it alone. This guide will help you figure out if it s time to call in some help. And if you decide to get help with your marketing, we ll let you know what to look for in an agency or consultant, and how to manage the relationship. What should you look for? What questions should you ask? And what should you expect from a good agency-client relationship? Let s get started.

3 Should I Hire an Agency? marketing is a specialized skill. Whether you or one of your employees is an experienced marketer or you re starting from square one, your inhouse skill set will help determine what you're looking for in an agency. Time is also a big factor. Do you have enough of it to involved yourself with every detail of an -marketing campaign? Do you have the necessary time or inclination to teach yourself? Think about these kinds of questions are you look at the list below, which includes some signs it s time for professional help: Youwanttostartmarketing through , butyouhavenoidea where tostartanddon thave thetime tolearn (orreadourhelpful guides ). If that s the case, get help now. You vedonesome marketing, butyouwanttotake ittothenext level. It can be hard to ramp up revenue or increase efficiency. An agency can help guide you in the right direction, or take over the whole darn thing. Youknowwhatyou re doing,andif youjusthadafew morehands, youcouldreally goplaces. An agency or consultant can seamlessly help you knock it all out. Youneedhelp withonestep. Your team is filled with creative wizards, but you can t tell if their flowery prose is selling your flower pots. Or maybe there s a left-brained stats freak whose campaign needs a shot of creativity. Contracting out analytics or creative agencies or consultants might be the way to go. People aren tactually gettingyour , oryou renotgetting their responses. These issues can ruin a great campaign. Someone else can make sure you don't miss those opportunities. Your listisoutof controlornon-existent. An expert can help you grow your list responsibly. They can also track things like customer behavior, so you can better target each individual recipient with the appropriate message.

4 Any of these problems sound familiar? If so, don t fret. Next, we ll talk specifically about what these -marketing agencies can do for you.

5 What Can an Agency Do for Me? Overview of agency services Your next decision is what type of services you need when it comes to marketing. That information will help you determine whether you re looking for an interactive agency, an marketing consultant, a deliverability expert, or something else. Here s a basic rundown of services that agencies provide: Strategic Consultation Tell them your goals, and they ll give you a plan of action. Marketing Campaign Management They can take over the whole thing if you want them to. Just provide the direction, and they ll run your campaigns for you. Creative Development They ll write, format, and produce your s. Pretty s have to come from somewhere, and sometimes it s an agency. Acquisition andlistoptimization They can grow your list using best practices to increase revenue while limiting bounces, unsubscribes, and complaints. VendorSelection Vendors send out your s. An agency will look at what your needs are and help you pick the vendor that will best meet them. Deliverability Content is essential, but it s also paramount to make sure everyone on your lists gets your s on time.

6 Campaign Metric Analysisand Optimization Metrics tell you how well your campaign is working. You can then tweak and optimize it as needed to reach your goals. Integration andcustomization Your marketing needs to be consistent with all your branding, both online and offline. It s also important for your marketing to work together across all platforms. When you first make contract with an agency, ask to see an overview of what they offer. Some firms specialize in just one facet of marketing, so it s important to make sure they meet all your needs. Be specific about what you want--diligence is vital when picking an agency to work with. Selecting services Sometimes, you may not be able to put your finger on exactly what your company needs. Time to figure that out. When selecting an agency, you have to ask yourself some tough questions. Sit down with your team and have an honest discussion about where you are today--and where you want to be tomorrow--when it comes to marketing your business. You should then talk about how you can reach those goals over the next year or two. You don t have to spell it out day-by-day, but the clearer your vision, the better an agency can detail your prospective partnership. Here are some tough questions to ask yourself and your team: What s your overall marketing plan? How does fit in it? What s working with our current marketing? What isn t? Should we start our campaign from scratch, or revise what we already have? Do we need our own IT department involved? Who else do we need to talk to within our company? When should this start? And when should it finish? What s our budget?

7 What s our forecasted volume per month? Per year? What sort of return on our investment (ROI) are we looking for? How will we measure success? What are our biggest challenges to overcome in the next six, 12, and 18 months? Once you hammer out some answers to these questions, write up a brief summary--or at least be prepared to talk about it when meeting with potential partners. The answers to these questions will guide your initial conversations.

8 How Do I Narrow Down the List? Now it s time to get some information from the agencies you re considering. This is only the start of the conversation. Here s what to look for in a possible partner: Make suretheyunderstand yourbusinessmodel, alongwithyour company smissing statement. Check outtheirprevious workandsee ifitappeals toyou. Talk tothemtosee ifyougetalong. Culture is important. Develop a mutual understanding of your brands and how you each do business. Trytomeetas manypeople inthecompany aspossible, especially thoseyou llbe workingwithdirectly. Personality shouldn t be understated, as you could be seeing a whole lot of these people. Gaugefrom yourowninteractions, ortalk tosomeoftheir otherclients, andmake surethese guyswillget intouchwithyouif something comesup. Don t wait until you re already getting complaints from customers. Asking the right questions Tell potential partners what you want when you sit down with them, but remember also that good conversations are about asking good questions. Here are some sample questions that you should tailor to your own business to get an even better sense of how these people can meet your needs:

9 General In addition to marketing, do you have any other marketing services? Is marketing a core part of your business? Do you specialize in any particular area of marketing (creative, analytics, strategy)? What makes you different from the other folks I ve talked to? Do you work with any of my competitors? How long have you been in business? What service providers do you work with right now? Could you work with others? Which programs do you like and why? How much will this cost me? Do you have a minimum? Hourly rate? Strategy How do you come up with a strategy for marketing? Its this one-size-fits-all, or do you have specific ideas for my company? Can you show and/or tell me about other -marketing programs you re recently developed or managed? Can you help me convince my boss that marketing is a good idea? What are some concrete ways my company can increase revenue with marketing? What problems do you see with my current -marketing strategy? What are some major challenges in marketing? How can we overcome them? Can you talk about the current state of marketing and which emerging trends may affect it? In what ways? Creative Do you offer creative design services ( , landing pages, Facebook)? What s your creative-development process? How much input will I have? Will my s look good on any platform or client? How do you check? How can you help me make my content better? Can you do it for me?

10 Production and Fulfillment How many campaigns are you managing for your clients right now, per week or month? What if I have an emergency after hours? Can I get in touch with you? What if I have a last-minute request? Can you always fulfill it? Can you send out s on my behalf if I want you to? What other platforms can we use (social media, mobile, web analytics)? Deliverability Is there a deliverability expert on staff? Can you guarantee all my s will send where they re supposed to, when they re supposed to? Can you adequately troubleshoot any problems I may have? How do you monitor my s to ensure things go perfectly? Development and Integration What development resources do you have on staff or work closely with? Can you help me with database integration with my service provider? Can you work with my IT guys to code for our website if needed? Once they answer all of your questions, make a list of two or three finalists. Look at the cost, and decide which is the best fit for your company. Some agencies work on a per-project basis, while others work on retainer. Regardless, once you ve made a decision, iron out a contract and make sure all parties understand the expectations of this partnership.

11 I've Got My Agency. Now What? Congratulations. You've got yourself a partner! Now it's time to focus on developing this relationship and making sure you achieve all your goals. Treat your partner as an extension of your marketing team. Some things to keep in mind: Remind yourself and your partner what your goals are. Make sure everyone on the team is on the same page. Make sure everyone knows who they should be in touch with, and how to do so. When you start a new project: Define goals. Get that out of the way right off the bat. Bespecific. Your agency partner can help you, but provide as many details as you can. For each project, be sure to decide together: How to work together Priorities Milestones and goals Timeline How often you'll receive updates on progress Stay in touch with your partner. Just like any relationship, you have to spend time together. Weekly status calls or daily updates are often a good idea for agencies. That's it. You're now in a productive partnership with your new marketing agency. Good luck!

12 Keep reading for information on MailChimp's Expert Exchange Program and directory of agencies.

13 MailChimp's Expert Exchange Program Are you a MailChimp user who's looking for an expert? Maybe you want someone to create a few custom templates for you, help you wire up your interface, or even just handle migrating your list from another company to MailChimp. MailChimp's Expert Exchange Program (EEP) can help. And we'll even help foot the bill. Here's how it works: 1. Chooseacompany andlet usknowwhoitis. You might have an agency, designer, developer, or freelancer you're already comfortable working with. If that's the case, ask them to (expertprogram@mailchimp.com). We'll get them registered as an official MailChimp Expert right away. If you're not already working with someone, read through this guide and check out our list of MailChimp Experts. Select one, them, and explain you're interested in working with them as part of MailChimp's Expert Exchange Program. 2. Agreeonproject scopeand costwithyourexpert. Decide exactly what your expert's going to do, and how much they charge for that service. 3. Haveyourexpert sendmailchimp acopyof yourpaidinvoice via (expertprogram@mailchimp.com). We'll take up to 50 percent off your monthly bill for up to six months, or until we've reimbursed you for half of the cost of your project--whichever comes first.

14 Agency Directory Digital Marketing Agencies 89 degrees Campaign strategy and management Creative content Execution Analytics Acquisition and Burlington, MA // USA Blue Moon Works marketing strategy Content planning Segmentation planning Multi-channel execution Reporting and

15 New York, NY // USA BrightWave Marketing Creative, coding and messaging Strategy and consulting List growth and retention Campaign management Metrics, analysis and Atlanta, GA // USA Carlyle Inc. Search optimization Search marketing marketing Website analysis Web design Colorado Springs, CO // USA eroi Campaign strategy and management

16 Creative content Execution and analytics Acquisition and Portland, OR // USA FSC Interactive Campaign strategy and management Creative content Execution and analytics Acquisition and New Orleans, LA // USA Idea Park Campaign strategy and management Creative content Execution and analytics Acquisition and retention Minneapolis, MN // USA Precision Dialogue

17 Campaign strategy and management Creative content Execution and analytics Acquisition and Westlake, OH // USA Modea Campaign strategy and management Creative content Execution and analytics Acquisition and Blacksburg, VA // USA Mudbug Media Campaign strategy and management Creative content Execution and analytics Acquisition and New Orleans, LA // USA

18 Digital Marketing Agencies AlchemyWorx Content Design Production Delivery Reporting and analysis Campaign stategy and +44 (0) London // UK ClickMail Marketing Delivery optimization API integration Deployment and support and landing page design marketing strategy San Mateo, CA // USA etale Consultancy in tactical, strategical and operational marketing

19 service provider selection Hands-on and over-the-phone consulting Project management In-house training and coaching Template design and consultancy Landing page and registration page optimization Deliverability Belgium Glasner Consulting Strategy List management Creative review Integration plans Vendor Montvale, NJ // USA Inbox Orange marketing strategy List building and management engagement and deliverability Content and copywriting design Project management Real-time reporting

20 HTML Lexington, KY // USA IndieMark marketing consulting template design Deliverability consulting list growth Managed services and x 101 Orlando, FL // USA Jeanne Jeannings campaign strategy Opt-in list growth messages, websites, reports and whitepapers /web page wireframe layouts Optimizing , landing page and micro-site creative for USA Red Pill

21 Vendor selection Integration consulting strategy and tactics account USA Relish Tray Media marketing CRM and lifecycle marketing program management delivery and whitelisting services Vendor, RFP development and proposal evaluation Social marketing strategy Strategic marketing campaigns Integrated media campaigns Brand exposure ROI Creative development and optimization Inc/ USA Shaw and Scott marketing USA

22 Style Campaign Custom Los Angeles, CA // USA Synchronicity Marketing message copy and creative review marketing strategy brainstorm testing designs session Using Twitter and Facebook for business Campaign results analysis and metrics USA Tamara Gielen Over-the-phone consulting Strategy and consulting Design and production program and campaign audits Deliverability support program optimization List growth and lead nurturing Managed services

23 service provider selection Workshops training and (0) Belgium The Relevancy Group Strategic market analysis Sales representative training Product development, including product and company positioning Market analysis of prospect behaviors and attitudes Whitepaper development and marketing plan development Speaking engagements including conferences and webinars Market survey development Delivery and Spring Lake, NJ // USA Treadline Interactive Consulting Research List growth Deliverability Optimization and testing Integration

24 Interactive/ ?ref=sgmi Bee Cave, TX // USA Interactive Agencies BKV marketing services Content Design Production Delivery Reporting and analysis Campaign strategy and Atlanta, GA // USA Definition 6 Campaign strategy and management Creative content Execution and analytics Acquisition and retention

25 @definition Atlanta, GA // New York, NY // USA Engauge Digital Contact strategy Content strategy Wireframing Copywriting Design HTML development Analytics and reporting Advanced data analysis & modeling Campaign optimization (testing and Austin, TX // Orlando, FL // Pittsburgh, PA // USA Mind Comet Strategy Best practices Creative services

26 New York, NY // Los Angeles, CA // USA